Cooling apparatus for a stereotype plate casting cylinder



Feb. 28, 1961 McGAHAN 2,972,790

COOLING APPARATUS FOR A STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING CYLINDER Filed June 8, 1959' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. James F Mfiahan ATTOQNEY Feb. 28, 1961 J McGAHAN 2,972,790

.COOLING APPARATUS FOR A STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING CYLINDER Filed June 8, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2 v FIG.4

IN VEN TOR. James E M 661 760 g BY Feb. 28,1961 J cGAHAN 2,972,790

COOLING APPARATUS FOR A STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING CYLINDER Filed June 8, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR. James FM Gabe/2 BY KMQ MM A T TO/{NE Y COOLING APPARATUS FOR A STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING CYLINDER James F. McGahan, 50 Copley St., Wollaston, Mass.

Filed June 8, 1959, Ser. No. 818,888

3 Claims. (Cl. 225) This invention relates to cooling apparatus for a stereotype plate casting cylinder. I

The invention has for an object to provide novel and improved cooling apparatus of the character specified wherein provision is made for retarding and distributing the flow of the cooling medium in a manner such as to provide more uniform cooling of the casting cylinder to the end that a more uniform and solid stereotype plate may be produced in a rapid and efiicient manner.

With this general object in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the improved cooling apparatus for a stereotype plate casting cylinder as hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical cross section of a stereotype plate casting cylinder embodying the present cooling apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation detail of the water retarding and distributing member shown in Fig. 1;

F'Fig. 3 is a plan view detail of the upper portion thereof;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of a section of the upper portion shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the bafiie members; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a row of baffle members shown in Fig. 5.

In general the present invention contemplates novel cooling apparatus for the purpose specified wherein uniform cooling of the casting cylinder and the cast plate associated therewith is effected in a simple, rapid and efiicient manner whereby to avoid warping, shrinking or other irregularities in the plate caused by non-uniform cooling of the casting cylinder. In the prior cooling devices of which I am aware, streams of cooling liquid under pressure are directed against the inner wall of the vertically disposed casting cylinder through openings in an elongated and perforated tubular member. While such prior cooling devices have been in use for many years it has been discovered that the temperatures at the 'upper and lower portions of the cast plate immediately after removal' from the vertically disposed casting cylinder vary considerablyand that such variations become more pronounced after consecutive casting operations. In practice the casting metal is about 600 F. when poured into the matrix and casting chamber formed between the outer wall of the casting cylinder and the separable back memher. The cooling water sprayed against the inner wall of the casting cylinder may be at room temperature and averages about 65 F., and when the cooling water is recirculated from a supply tank, the cooling water temperature may be considerably higher than the prevailing room temperature. The head pressure of the cooling water may be between 15 to 20 lbs. per square inch. In

use it was found, for example, that after a first casting operation and cooling spray in the prior apparatus, with the casting cylinder initially at room temperature, the

. ired States Patent Patented Feb-28 1961 upper portion of the cast plate immediately after removal from the cylinder was found to be about 350, the temperatures of the intermediate portions being gradually reduced toward the lower end to a minimum temperature of 280 F. After several consecutive casting and cooling operations it was found that the temperature at the upper end of the casting cylinder had increased to about 450 F. while the lower end remained at about 280 F., thus producing a greater temperature variation between the upper and lower ends of the casting cylinder. It was also found in practice that use of a cooler temperature water supply, such as direct from the municipal water supply had little or no eifect in curing such temperature variations.

In accordance with the present invention a series of vertically spaced baflie rings are provided between the perforated tubular member and the inner wall of the casting cylinder to the end that the cooling water is retarded in its downward flow and redirected and more evenly distributed against the cylinder wall whereby more uniform cooling of the cast plate is effected. In use it was found that when the present water retarding and distributing apparatus is incorporated in the cooling device, the temperatures throughout the length of the vertically disposed casting cylinder were at a uniform temperature of about 215 F. after the first casting operation, and

remained at such temperature after a great many successive casting operations whereby to produce uniformly cooled cast plates free of irregularities.

Referring nowto the drawings, the present invention is illustrated as embodied in a conventional stereotype plate casting device which includes a base member 10 and an upright central supporting post 12 having a flange 14 at its lower end supported in the base member 10. The cylinder 15 is mounted for rotation on the post 12 in upper and lower bearing members 16, 18 provided on the central post, the upper end of the cylinder 15 being closed. Also supported on the upright post 12 is an elongated and perforated tubular member 20 provided with a cap 22 at its upper end which is arranged to bear against a shouldered portion of the upright post as shown. Water under pressure is connected to an inlet indicated at 24 which is connected by a pipe 26 to a passageway 28 which extends horizontally into the lower end of the flange portion 14 and then extends upwardly into the central post 12, termi nating below the upper end thereof. Spaced upwardly from the flangeportion 14 a distance of about one third of the length of the post 12 is a cross passageway 30 through which the Water enters the annular space 32 defined by the outer surface of the post 12 and the'inn'er wall of the perforated tube 20. The water under pressure annular space 34 defined by the outer surface of the perforated tube 20 and the inner Wall of the cylinder 15 to escape through openings 36 formed in the bottomof'th'e cylinder 15 and through passageways 38 which communicate with a chamber 40 formed in the base member 10 and through a drain outlet 42 formed therein. A conventional separable back member, indicated generally at 44, which is usually of segmental or semi-circular shape in horizontal cross section, cooperates with the outer surface of the casting cylinder 15 to form the matrix and casting chamber 46 into which a charge of casting metal is deposited. The back member 44 is also provided with a cooling system independent of the cylinder cooling system and includes an inlet pipe 48 leading to the lower end of a hollow chamber 50 formed in the back and an outlet pipe 52 leading from the upper end of the chamber 50 to the 3 chamber 40 in the base member 15 to drain through the outlet 42 as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In accordance with the present invention the water retarding and distributing unit, indicated generally at 60, is inserted within the annular space 34between the outer surface of the perforated tube 20 and the inner wall of the cylinder 15 as shown in Fig. 1. As herein shown, the retarding and distributing unit 60 comprises a series of horizontally disposed and vertically spaced rings of baflie members indicated generally at 64 and which are supported on circumferentially spaced vertical legs 65 which may comprise angle members connected at theirupper ends by curved rods 67 extended through adjacent legs 65 in staggered relation, as shown, and secured to the legs by nuts 68 threadedly engaged with the extended ends of the rods. The lower ends of the legs 65 may be bent at right angles to provide end flanges 70 for securing the legs to the bottom wall of the cylinder.

Each ring 64 of bafile members comprises a circular band 72 which may be connected to the legs 65 by screws 74 or other fastening means, as shown in detail in Figs. and 6, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced segmental baffie plates 76 are secured to the band 72 by screws 78 or the like. The outwardly extended face of each baflie plate extends downwardly at an angle of between 45 and 60 with respect to the horizontal as shown. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the baflle rings 64 may be spaced vertically in groups, herein shown as comprising an upper group of three spaced rings, an intermediate group of three and a single lower ring. The series of rings may be initially assembled and maintained in aligned relationship by vertical rods 80 which pass through and are secured to aligned portions of adjacent vertically spaced bafile plates 76 as shown.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, each baffle ring 64 is provided with six spaced and aligned baflle plates 76 positioned between adjacent supporting legs 65, the spaces indicated at 82, between adjacent baflie plates providing clearance through which some of the cooling liquid may flow unimpeded. It was found in practice that the number of vertically spaced baffle rings and the total number of baflle plates 76 relative to the height of the cylinder and the annular space 34, as herein illustrated, was most efiicient for consistent cooling performance irrespective of variations in the temperature of the .cooling water within practical limits. For example, in the illustrated structure the inside diameter of the cylinder 15 is about 11 /2 inches, and the outside diameter of the perforated tubular member is about 7 /2 inches leaving an annular space of 2 inches in width therebetween. Within this space there are seven vertically spaced rings each having six baffle plates making a total of forty-two plates. The horizontal width occupied by each inclined plate is about one inch with the outer edge thereof spaced about one-half inch from the inner wall of the cylinder 15. The height of the matrix and the stereotype plate is usually considerably less than the height of the space 46 provided therefor so that the finished cast plate extends up from the bottom of the cylinder a distance of about two-thirds of the length or overall height of the cylinder, such two-thirds height corresponding substantially to the overall height covered by the baflile plates.

In operation when the cooling water is injected under pressure through the perforated openings 21 of the tube 20, the streams strike against the inner wall of the casting cylinder 15, and some of the streams are deflected onto the baffie plates 76, as indicated in Fig. 1, to thus retard the direct downward flow of the water and to further deflect and redirect the flow from the bafile plates back onto the inner wall of the cylinder, the bafiles effecting a substantially zigzag flow of the water during its downward travel through the cylinder. In practice it was found that this expedient is effective to provide uniform cooling of all portions of the casting cylinder and the cast plate produced thereon so that all portions of the cast plate have a temperature reading of about 215 F. immediately after removal from the casting cylinder.

' From the above description it will be seen that the present irnprovementiin cooling apparatus as embodied in a stereotype plate casting cylinder is capable of retarding and distributing the flow of cooling water through the casting cylinder in a manner such as to effect rapid and uniform cooling throughout the entire length thereof whereby to produce uniformly cooled stereotype plates free of irregularities.

While the preferred form of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. In a stereotype plate casting device, in combination, a vertically disposed hollow casting cylinder, a tubular member having a plurality of perforated openings throughout its circumference and disposed within and spaced from the inner wall of the cylinder providing an annular space between said wall and the exterior wall of the tubular member, means for directing cooling liquid under pressure into said tubular member to be discharged through said perforated openings against the inner wall of the cylinder, and separate baifie means disposed in said annular space for retarding the downward flow of the liquid therethrough and for redirecting the flow back onto the cylinder wall, said bafile means comprising a plurality of vertically spaced annular deflecting elements, each deflecting element being inclined downwardly and outwardly.

2. A stereotype plate casting device as defined in claim 1 wherein each vertically spaced baffle means comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced segmental deflecting elements.

3. A stereotype plate casting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the bafiie means comprises spaced groups of vertically spaced deflecting elements.

References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 591,524 Burgers Oct. 12, 1897 2,748,433 Preston June 5, 1956 2,799,068 Zeigler July 16, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,135 Great Britain 1908 622,958 Great Britain May 10, 1949 

